This Arizona Waterslide Drops The Floor From Under You Seven Stories Up
I thought I was ready for the Double Dare slide until I reached the top and looked down. Seven stories suddenly felt much higher with a trapdoor sitting directly beneath my feet.
Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa, Arizona, has been thrilling families for more than thirty years, but this ride is built for anyone who wants a little panic mixed into the fun. The countdown gave me just enough time to question every decision that brought me to the platform.
Then the floor disappeared, and eight breathless seconds passed before my brain caught up with the rest of me. That instant drop is what makes the Double Dare so memorable.
You do not slowly ease into the ride or get time to settle your nerves. You stand at the top, hear the countdown, and hope your courage holds together. Anyone who chases that stomach-flipping rush should put 155 West Hampton Avenue on the summer list.
I walked away soaked, shaky, and already wondering whether I was brave enough to climb those stairs again.
Unlike Any Other Waterslide
Standing inside a launch capsule perched seven stories above the ground, knowing the floor beneath you is about to vanish, is a feeling that is genuinely hard to put into words. Double Dare at Golfland Sunsplash is not your average waterslide.
It is a ProSlide SuperLOOP model, and it was the first of its kind in all of Arizona when it opened at the Mesa park located at 155 West Hampton Avenue. The ride features two side-by-side trapdoor slides that send riders into a near-vertical freefall the moment the floor releases.
From start to finish at the bottom, the whole thing takes just eight seconds. That might sound short, but trust me, those eight seconds feel like a full sensory experience packed into a heartbeat.
The G-forces generated during the descent are strong enough to press you firmly against the side of the tube. It is the kind of ride that makes you want to immediately get back in line and do it all over again.
The Trapdoor Technology That Starts It All
There is something uniquely unsettling about stepping onto a floor that you know is designed to disappear. The trapdoor technology used in Double Dare is what separates this ride from every other waterslide at Golfland Sunsplash.
Riders step into a sealed launch capsule at the very top of the structure, positioning themselves directly above the drop. Once the capsule door closes, a countdown begins on one of the two tracks. Track 1 gives you a warning before the floor releases.
Track 2, however, offers no countdown at all, making the drop completely unexpected. Choosing between the two tracks is actually part of the fun, and many riders deliberately pick Track 2 just for that extra jolt of surprise.
The trapdoor mechanism is precise and fast, releasing the floor almost instantly. The psychological buildup of standing in that capsule, knowing the drop is coming but not knowing exactly when, is a huge part of what makes this ride so memorable and so addictive for thrill-seekers.
Seven Stories High
Climbing the stairs to the top of Double Dare is its own kind of adventure. With each step upward, the water park below gets smaller and the Arizona sky gets bigger.
By the time you reach the platform seven stories up, you have a surprisingly impressive view of the entire Golfland Sunsplash property, including its massive wave pool and the colorful tangle of other slides below.
Mesa sits in the greater Phoenix area, and on a clear day, the desert landscape stretches out in every direction around the park. The sun feels closer up there, and the warm Arizona air does nothing to cool the nerves buzzing in your chest as you wait your turn at the capsule door.
That climb serves a real purpose beyond just reaching the top. It gives your brain time to register exactly how high up you are, building anticipation with every step. By the time you step inside the capsule, you are already fully committed, and there is no turning back from there.
The Eight-Second Freefall Experience
Eight seconds sounds like nothing. You blink, you breathe, you check a text message in eight seconds without thinking twice. But when you are dropping nearly vertically down a seven-story waterslide with G-forces pushing you against the walls, eight seconds becomes a very intense unit of time.
The initial drop on Double Dare is steep enough to feel like a true freefall, and then the slide transitions into a 360-degree helix before delivering you to the bottom.
That combination of straight drop followed by a full loop around is what gives the ride its signature punch. Your body goes from plummeting to spinning in what feels like an instant.
Riders consistently describe the sensation of being glued to the side of the tube during the helix section, which is a direct result of the powerful centrifugal forces at work.
When you finally splash out at the bottom, the first thing most people do is look back up at where they just came from and quietly marvel at the whole thing.
Choosing Your Level Of Surprise
One of the most clever details about Double Dare is that the two side-by-side tracks are not identical in experience, even though they look exactly the same from the outside.
Track 1 gives riders a countdown before the floor drops, which some people find helpful and others find almost more nerve-wracking because you are bracing for a specific moment. Track 2 skips the countdown entirely.
On Track 2, the floor simply drops without any warning. You are just standing there in the capsule, and then suddenly you are not standing at all. For many riders, that unpredictability is the whole appeal.
You cannot prepare your body for something that happens before your brain has time to process it.
Watching people exit both tracks at the bottom is genuinely entertaining. Track 1 riders often come out looking like they steeled themselves for impact.
Track 2 riders frequently have that wide-eyed, slightly bewildered expression that can only come from a surprise you absolutely did not see coming, even when you technically knew it was going to happen.
The ProSlide SuperLOOP
Not all waterslides are created equal, and the engineering behind Double Dare is a big part of why the ride feels so different from anything else at the park
. The slide was manufactured by ProSlide Technology, a Canadian company widely recognized in the water park industry for designing some of the most technically advanced rides in the world.
The SuperLOOP model specifically combines that near-vertical freefall drop with a full 360-degree helix loop, creating a sequence of forces that hits the rider in waves rather than all at once.
The trapdoor launch system was also engineered to release quickly and consistently, which is critical for both the rider experience and the safety of the attraction.
ProSlide Technology holds numerous patents related to water ride design, and the SuperLOOP is considered one of their signature innovations.
Knowing that the ride was built by a company with that level of expertise actually makes stepping into the capsule feel a little more reassuring, even when the floor is about to disappear from beneath your feet.
Beyond Double Dare
As intense as Double Dare is, it is just one attraction inside a water park that offers more than 30 rides and experiences spread across the Sunsplash side of the property.
The park carries a Caribbean-themed vibe throughout, with colorful structures, tropical landscaping, and the kind of energy that makes a hot Arizona afternoon feel like a mini vacation.
Some of the other standout water rides include the Master Blaster Water Coaster, which propels riders uphill using jets of water, the Sidewinder, Thunder Falls, Stormrider, and The Revolution.
Each one brings a different type of thrill, so you can mix high-intensity drops with more relaxed tube rides depending on how your legs are feeling after climbing seven stories repeatedly.
The park also features a 450,000-gallon wave pool that serves as a fantastic way to cool down and catch your breath between the bigger rides. On a crowded summer day, that wave pool becomes the social hub of the whole park, full of families floating and splashing in the warm Arizona sunshine.
Miniature Golf, Arcade Games, And Dry Side Fun
Golfland Sunsplash earns its name by pairing the water park with an equally impressive dry entertainment complex.
The Golfland side of the property features multiple award-winning miniature golf courses that are well-designed enough to appeal to both casual families and people who take their mini golf very seriously. The courses are themed and creative, making each hole a small adventure.
Inside the facility, there is an arcade stocked with over 200 video games, covering everything from classic machines to modern interactive setups.
For groups that want a bit of friendly competition without getting wet, the laser tag arena is a popular choice that tends to draw just as many adults as kids.
Bumper boats, race cars, and bumper cars round out the dry side attractions, giving visitors a full day of entertainment even if they never set foot near a waterslide.
This variety is a big reason why Golfland Sunsplash works so well as a destination for mixed groups where not everyone is looking for the same kind of thrill on the same day.
Planning Your Visit
Timing your visit to Golfland Sunsplash can make a real difference in how much you enjoy the day. The park is located at 155 West Hampton Avenue in Mesa, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix, and it sits in a desert climate where summer temperatures regularly climb past 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
That heat actually works in the park’s favor, since a waterslide feels a lot more appealing when the air temperature is blazing.
Weekdays tend to be noticeably less crowded than weekends, especially during the summer months when school is out and families pack the park from opening until close. Arriving early gives you the best chance to hit Double Dare multiple times before the lines build up around midday.
Free parking is available on-site, which is a genuinely appreciated perk that saves you from hunting for street parking or paying extra at the gate.
Bringing sunscreen, water shoes, and a dry change of clothes will make the transition between wet and dry attractions much smoother and keep your group comfortable throughout the entire visit.
Who Should Ride Double Dare And Who Should Watch
Double Dare is built for thrill-seekers, and that is not just marketing language. The combination of a trapdoor drop, a near-vertical freefall, and a 360-degree helix creates a physical experience that is genuinely intense.
Riders who are sensitive to sudden drops, enclosed spaces, or strong physical forces should think carefully before stepping into the capsule.
For older kids who meet the 48-inch height requirement, teenagers, and adults who enjoy high-adrenaline rides, Double Dare is likely to become the highlight of the entire day at the park.
Many riders report wanting to go again immediately after finishing, which says a lot about how satisfying the experience feels once the initial shock wears off.
Spectators who prefer to watch from the ground can still get a great view of the slide structure from various points around the park.
Watching a friend or family member disappear through a trapdoor seven stories up and reappear at the bottom eight seconds later is genuinely entertaining in its own right, and the reactions people have at the bottom are priceless.
Why Double Dare Belongs On Your Arizona Bucket List
Arizona is famous for its desert heat, its stunning landscapes, and its outdoor adventure scene. Golfland Sunsplash adds something else to that list: a water park experience anchored by one of the most genuinely thrilling waterslides in the entire state.
Double Dare is not just a ride you go on and forget. It is the kind of experience that comes up in conversation months later when someone asks about the most memorable thing you did on your last trip.
The fact that it was the first trapdoor slide of its kind in Arizona gives it a legitimate place in the state’s attraction history.
Paired with the rest of what Golfland Sunsplash offers, from the wave pool to the miniature golf courses to the arcade, a visit here delivers real value for the time and money you put into it.
For anyone spending time in the Phoenix or Mesa area and looking for a day that mixes fun, family entertainment, and a genuine shot of adrenaline, this park makes a strong case for itself, with Double Dare sitting firmly at the top of the must-ride list.